ALION FOR LIFE | Alumni Author Feature
Pulitzer Prize Nominee Michael Comerford ’77 Publishes First Book What do you do next when your resume includes entries such as being an awardwinning journalist, studying Buddhism in the Himalayas, winning a heavyweight boxing championship in Ireland, swimming the headwaters of the Nile, fighting off a hippo attack, and touring ecological disaster areas in the Amazon? For Michael Sean Comerford ’77 the answer was obvious – spend a year hitchhiking across North America working in carnivals from Alaska to Florida. Why? To write a book and satisfy an urge that had lingered throughout an international journalism career that took him around the globe as a business writer. As a journalist, Comerford’s career included bylines in the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Daily News, Budapest Sun, Budapest Business Journal, Prague Post, Moscow Times and in syndication at Tribune Media and Copley News Service newspapers. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and received Peter Lisagor, AP and Best Series in Chicago awards, and is a former board member of the Chicago Journalists Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. And now, he’s been a carny, too. Comerford explained the transition from journalist to author noting the freedom from being objective. “In the book I can take a point of view,” he explained. “In a book like this I can write about visceral things that journalists can’t – things like dealing with death, falling in love and greed. It broadened the range of what I could write about.”
While traveling with the carnivals Comerford worked rides, ran games and even hosted the freak show. He learned that many carnies are run-aways, leaving behind bad family situations. He learned about the loneliness of the road, about violence and dependency, and much about the human condition. “One of my goals was to ask the most intimate questions I could. That was both good and a huge mistake. Grown men and women would cry as they told their stories and I had to balance my desire to know against the pain they felt in sharing.”
Regarding his Saint Viator influences, Comerford’s LinkedIn profile includes this snippet in the Education section. “I’m a former STAR student of St. Viator literature guru Bro. Ruhl. Mentored by former Viator President Bro. Leo Ryan, whose titles range from Dean of Business at “One of my goals was to ask Notre Dame and DePaul to Nigerian tribal chief in the Peace Corps. (that’s “American Oz” grew out of Comerford’s the most intimate questions right Bro. Ruhl in heaven, I said year on the road where he posted written I could. That was both good STAR student!).” He still relishes the and video blogs as he worked in 10 different Shakespeare lessons taught by Br. carnivals touring the United States. Having and a huge mistake.” Robert Ruhl, CSV, and was thrilled already hitchhiked the U.S. multiple times, when an instructor he had while Comerford returned to the open road because pursuing his Masters at Northwestern University told him the wages he made working in carnivals didn’t allow for other “Business is like Shakespeare. It’s about greed, misunderstanding forms of transportation. The people he met while hitchhiking and high stakes. If you look at it as a Shakespearean play it will became a part of the story, too. “The people that picked me up never cease to be incredibly comedic and dramatic.” represent the America that carnivals are going through; they are the carnival customers.” As for current students, Comerford freely shared advice. “Don’t wait to start life; it’s already started,” he said. “People around It wasn’t long before Comerford realized that his intention you, including your friends, are influencing who you are going to to experience immersion journalism wouldn’t work. “My first be. The most important thing you will learn is how to learn. Pay carnival was in Silicon Valley,” he said. “The richest people in the attention to everything and be open to adjusting.” world live there but so do some of the poorest; it’s known as the Silicon Chasm.” He has imparted that knowledge to his daughter, a high school sophomore who recently had her own book published, is working When his intentions became known, “The carnival manager on a second and hosts her own podcast. told me it was a dumb idea and fired me two weeks in. He said most workers are from Mexico and I didn’t speak Spanish and With his first book published, Comerford is at work on a new no owner would hire me if they knew I was writing a book.” series about a teenage girl who travels the world with her dad According to Comerford the setback was the best thing that fighting for climate change and solving mysteries along the could have happened. “Herein lies the solution. Learn some way. Find “American Oz: An Astounding Year Inside Traveling Spanish, go to multiple carnivals. Intellectually it was the only Carnivals at State Fairs & Festivals: Hitchhiking California to way I could do this.” New York, Alaska to Mexico” on Amazon (amzn.to/2Ojoh3w).
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